Pura Vida Beach & Dive Resort — Hotel in Dauin

Absolutely enjoyed our recent stay at Vida Homes ! We booked Villa 3, and it was such an enjoyable weekend. Would love to come back~

Location: Pura Vida/Vida Homes is located within the town proper, but by the seaside. It’s easy enough to spot (in the evenings they have a lit up sign by the highway). The resort is spacious (owing to it having 2 variations, the more public resort, and the more private villa homes and rooms). Despite being in the town proper, the area is quite quiet and secluded, which gives it an excellent relaxing feel.

Rooms: Villa 3 is one of the newest villa additions so everything inside is new. Private carport (fits 1), spacious living room area, big kitchen with island and huge fridge and ample cooking space, 2 bedrooms (1 master and 1 twin). And its own private pool.

Villa Amenities: Loved the bathroom, which was spacious. Shower and rack heights are fitted for tall people but it’s not such a big issue. Hot water available throughout the day. Kitchen is available for cooking (if you bring your own things), but didn’t get to try this out as we didn’t plan to cook. Cooking pans, chopping boards, and cutlery are available in the drawers for free use. Fridge had more than ample space, with a ref and freezer area. They also had an oven, induction stove, and hot water kettle. A large drying rack is right by the sink for easy drying. Airconditioning is available in each room, plus the living room. TVs are in both rooms, with access to some channels like CNN.

Beds (toppers) were a little hard (probably since they haven’t been used so much) and I tossed and turned for the first night. It was much better during the second night. There are also a lot of light switches throughout the villa, and they aren’t labelled or positioned in places that always make sense, so we often had to go around looking for which lights light up which areas (both inside the house and by the patio/pool).

Resort Amenities: Aside from our private pool, Vida Homes has 2 more pools (one lap pool which is somewhat deep, and the main pool which has an attached pool bar). By the restaurant is another pool, as well as a billiards area.

Food: You can order food at the restaurant, or have them served at the villa (except for breakfast). Food was quite good, I especially liked the salmon served with pesto and cheese. Pizza was also delicious, and with big servings.

Service: Par Excellence. From the moment we arrived, to checking out, I found the service to be highly excellent. Staff, whether they were on the grounds or coming to the villa, were always friendly and easy to talk to. The owner(?) would always give us a friendly greet when she saw us on the grounds, or when we were having breakfast.

Price: As it’s currently Covid, the resort has promo prices which make it more affordable to stay in compared to pre-Covid. The resort prices cater more to tourists and foreigners, which is reflected by the high quality rooms and amenities. Prices are probably still a little on the high side for many locals, but it’s definitely worth the price if you’re looking for a great place to Staycation since traveling outside is still very limited.

I highly recommend staying at Vida Homes if you’re looking for a quiet and relaxing home...

Overall, we had a pleasant stay. A few issues arose with both the dive center and the hotel. The dive center quickly addressed our concerns with a dive master and we continued diving. Happy to recommend sea explorers.

The bar and restaurant service at the hotel is also superb. The food unfortunately is abysmal. We only ate breakfast there each morning because it was included in the room cost. We did find restaurants around the hotel that offered delicious food and a nice atmosphere. I know everyone's tastes are different, but many of the guests during our stay were advising each other of restaurants to try because the food on site really isn't good.

We were advised we could check out late with no charge as it's low season. However, on the day we were told we needed to check out or pay 25% of the room cost. I agreed to the cost but still got harassed by different staff members during the day (at the room and at the pool), wanting to know the time I'd check out even though I'd already told reception but apparently they hadn't told anyone else. I went to reconfirm with reception and they tried to get me sign a late check out form that was over priced (25% of a higher room rate than what I was paying). When I did check out, there were mini bar and lunch bills from the previous people who occupied the room.

My advice to future guests is to triple check all charges and pressure staff to let you sign the receipt if charging items to the room.

I raised a complaint about all this and was told that management were out of the country so effectively no one had been left in charge and everyone was doing things differently.

I have raised the above with the managing director - his response is that he enjoys the food and if the hotel manager was there then everything would have been smoother....so in my opinion expect no change from the above level of service as it meets senior management expectations.

Room - 2 stars due to zero soundproofing in garden rooms. Location - great for...

I made a trip to the Philippines for my son's wedding. I was referred to Pura Vida by my new daughter in law who grew up in the area. Of the five resorts that I checked out online, this was by far the most appealing property for many reasons. I can honestly say that the entire visit was one of the most pleasant and wonderful experiences I have ever had. Having such a wonderful place to stay made my time with my son and his wife that much more special. And my daughter in law knows many of the staff. They all made me feel like family. I spent 16 days enjoying the Bird's Nest Suite, which was roomy, comfortable, clean, cool, and overall just great.|I could not have been happier with the staff and the care I received from them all. They all treated me like family; from the restaurant, bar, office, and housekeeping... Everyone was so sweet and pleasant. |The breakfasts included with my stay were good and plentiful. The other meals I ate at the resort were plentiful and good. |My room was up 2 flights of stairs (good exercise) with a lovely view of the property and view through the trees of the beach. The propery and pools are lovely and so well maintained. Even all the property maintenance staff were friendly, always greeting me. I had a wonderful massage at the spa one afternoon. |My home is in northern Nevada in the USA. I traveled about 30 some hours to get to the Philippines. Having such a beautiful, relaxing place to stay made my visit a joy! Thank you, Jovey, to you and your wonderful team for everything. I really hope to be back...